GL.iNet Travel Routers for Remote Work: What You Actually Need for a Personal VPN

If you’re building a Personal VPN for location privacy abroad, one of the pieces you’ll probably hear me talk about is a GL.iNet router.

I’ve used these routers for years, traveled with them, tested different models, and made quite a few videos showing how they work.

But there’s an important distinction:

The router is not the Personal VPN.

It’s one part of the system.

And that distinction matters when you’re deciding which router to buy.

You don’t necessarily need the newest router, the fastest router, or the biggest router GL.iNet makes.

You need the right equipment for the job that router will perform in your Personal VPN system.

Why Use a Travel Router?

When you’re away from home, your laptop, phone, tablet, and other devices still need a way to connect to the internet.

You could connect each device directly to the Wi-Fi wherever you’re staying.

A travel router gives you another option.

Instead of connecting every device directly to the hotel, Airbnb, coffee shop, or other available network, the travel router connects to that internet connection and your devices connect to your router.

That gives you your own network while you’re traveling.

For a Personal VPN system, the router can also establish the VPN connection back to the home side of your setup.

Your devices connect to the travel router, the router establishes the VPN tunnel, and your internet traffic travels back through your Personal VPN.

That’s why the travel router becomes such an important part of the system.

Why I Use GL.iNet Routers

I’ve used several generations of GL.iNet routers over the years.

One reason I continue using them is that they combine travel-router functionality with networking features that are useful for the Personal VPN systems I configure.

I’ve traveled with them and demonstrated them using hotel Wi-Fi and other temporary internet connections.

I’ve also tested newer generations of the hardware as GL.iNet has continued developing the product line.

But I don’t think the first question should be:

Which GL.iNet router should I buy?

The better question is:

What does my Personal VPN system need this router to do?

The newest or most expensive router isn’t automatically the right answer.

How the Travel Router Fits Into a Personal VPN

I like to explain a Personal VPN as having two sides.

Home side: This is the internet connection where you want your traffic to exit.

Travel side: This is the router traveling with you.

The travel router connects back to the home side through the VPN.

Once that connection is established, the devices connected to the travel router can use that VPN connection.

That’s fundamentally different from simply buying a travel router and putting it in your suitcase.

The router needs to be part of a properly configured system.

One Router Instead of Configuring Every Device

One advantage of putting the VPN connection on the router is that your devices can connect through the router rather than each device having to manage its own VPN connection.

Your laptop connects to your travel router.

Your phone can connect to your travel router.

Your other devices can connect to the same network.

From a practical standpoint, you’re carrying your network with you.

For someone who travels frequently, that can make the setup much easier to manage.

What Happens at a Hotel?

Hotels are one of the situations where a travel router becomes particularly useful.

Hotel internet often works differently from your home Wi-Fi.

You may connect to the hotel’s wireless network and then be sent to a webpage where you have to enter a room number, accept terms, or otherwise authenticate before getting internet access.

That’s commonly called a captive portal.

I’ve demonstrated this with GL.iNet routers because it’s something travelers regularly encounter.

The basic process is:

1. Connect the travel router to the available internet connection.

2. Complete whatever connection process that network requires.

3. Establish your Personal VPN connection.

4. Connect your devices to your travel router.

The exact process can vary depending on the network you’re connecting to, which is why I think it’s important to understand how your router works before you’re standing in a hotel room trying to figure it out.

What About the Slate AX (AXT1800)?

If you’ve watched my older Personal VPN videos, you’ve probably seen me use the GL.iNet Slate AX, also known as the AXT1800.

I’ve used and recommended the AXT1800 extensively over the years.

It has been a very useful travel router, and many of the concepts I’ve demonstrated with it still apply.

But if I were buying new equipment today, it would no longer be where I would start.

From my perspective, the AXT1800 is approaching the end of its useful life as my default recommendation because GL.iNet now has a newer generation of hardware available.

That’s my assessment, not an announcement from GL.iNet that the AXT1800 has officially reached end of life.

There’s also an important distinction here.

I’m not saying someone who already owns an AXT1800 should throw it away.

I’m saying I wouldn’t automatically buy one today simply because you’ve seen me recommend or demonstrate it in one of my older videos.

Technology changes.

My recommendations should change with it.

What About the GL.iNet Slate 7 and Slate 7 Pro?

If I were looking at new GL.iNet travel-router hardware today, I would be looking at the Slate 7 generation.

The Slate 7 brings the newer generation of GL.iNet hardware and features that I’m interested in for this type of Personal VPN setup.

There’s also a Slate 7 Pro.

At the time I’m writing this, the Slate 7 Pro isn’t available in the United States.

That’s important because I don’t think most people need to wait for the Pro just because it has “Pro” in the name.

The Slate 7 provides the same core features I’m interested in for this type of setup.

The Pro primarily gives you more powerful hardware and tri-band Wi-Fi 7.

Those are legitimate improvements.

But whether they matter to you depends on what you’re actually asking the router to do.

For most people building a Personal VPN, I would pay more attention to whether the router meets the requirements of the complete system than simply buying the highest-specification model available.

Bigger Isn’t Necessarily Better: What About the Flint Routers?

GL.iNet also makes larger, more powerful routers in its Flint family.

They’re capable routers.

But for most of the Personal VPN systems I configure, I consider them overkill.

The reason becomes clearer when you understand what the home-side router is actually doing.

In most of my Personal VPN installations, nobody is using the Wi-Fi from the home-side Personal VPN router.

The home’s existing network is already handling Wi-Fi.

The Personal VPN router has a much more specific job within the system.

It sits on the home side and provides the connection that the travel router connects back to.

That changes what I care about when choosing the hardware.

A larger router with more powerful Wi-Fi hardware might be valuable if you’re actually using it as the primary router for the house.

But that’s generally not how I’m deploying these routers in a Personal VPN system.

If nobody is using that Wi-Fi, paying for substantially more wireless capability may not provide much practical benefit.

More powerful hardware isn’t automatically better when you’re paying for capabilities the system doesn’t need.

That’s why I generally prefer appropriately sized GL.iNet hardware for a Personal VPN instead of automatically recommending the largest or most powerful router in the lineup.

Which GL.iNet Router Should You Buy?

The right router depends on the role it will perform in your Personal VPN system.

If you’re shopping for GL.iNet equipment, I’ve put the routers and other equipment I currently recommend on my Recommended Products & Services page:

https://www.mexitplans.com/recommended-products-services

Some of the product links on that page are affiliate links, which means MexitPlans may earn a commission if you purchase through them at no additional cost to you.

I would still decide what your Personal VPN system actually needs before buying the hardware. The goal isn’t to buy the most powerful router. It’s to buy the appropriate router for the job.

A Faster Router Doesn’t Fix Slow Internet

There’s another reason not to become overly focused on router specifications.

You can buy a very capable travel router and still have a slow Personal VPN connection.

Your system depends on more than the router.

You have the internet connection where you’re physically located.

You have the VPN connection between the travel and home sides.

And you have the internet connection hosting the Personal VPN.

Any of those can affect performance.

The upload speed at the home location can be particularly important.

That’s why I wouldn’t choose a router based only on the largest speed number printed on the box.

The router is one component in a much larger network.

Don’t Buy the Router First

This is probably the biggest point I want people to take away from this article.

Don’t start your Personal VPN project by buying a router.

Start by understanding the system you’re trying to build.

You need to know:

• where the home side of the Personal VPN will be located; • what internet connection will host it; • what performance that connection can support; • what equipment will be used on the home side; • how the travel router will connect back to it; • what the router on each side actually needs to do; • and how you plan to use the system while traveling.

Once you understand those requirements, choosing the hardware becomes much easier.

Learn the Router Before You Depend on It

I wouldn’t want the first time I really learned how my travel router works to be when I needed it for work.

Connect it before you travel.

Understand the interface.

Practice connecting it to another Wi-Fi network.

Understand how your Personal VPN connection starts.

Know what the router looks like when everything is working normally.

Travel introduces enough variables on its own.

Knowing your equipment removes one of them.

A GL.iNet Router Is a Tool. The Personal VPN Is the System.

GL.iNet makes routers that work well for the Personal VPN systems I configure.

But buying one doesn’t automatically give you a Personal VPN.

You still need the home side, the travel side, the internet connections, and the configuration that connects everything together.

That’s the difference between buying a piece of networking equipment and building a system you can actually use.

Work With No Borders

If you want to build the system yourself, understanding your GL.iNet equipment is a good place to start.

But if you don’t want to turn your move or international travel plans into a networking project, that’s where Work With No Borders comes in.

Through Work With No Borders, I help clients configure the routers that make up the home and travel sides of their Personal VPN system.

The objective isn’t to sell you the biggest router or convince you that you need the newest hardware.

It’s to configure the equipment appropriate for your Personal VPN system and get the pieces working together before you depend on it abroad.

If maintaining location privacy while living or traveling abroad is part of your plan, learn more about Work With No Borders and get your Personal VPN system in place before you leave.